Posted on 10/14/2014 9:23:00 AM PDT by dware
Thanks, much appreciated!
Those same planes visit our local airport each summer for several days. I took the grandkids to see then last year.
While everyone is focused on the “flying coffin” aspect, here is more of the story:
It turns out the fragments found in Selva del Lamone belonged to a B-24H from the Air Force’s 736th Bomb Squadron, which operated out of southern Italy.
It had taken off in March 1944 with 276 other bombers and was part of an 18-bomber formation that dropped 25 tons of bombs on an airport.
...only two sergeants managed to parachute out, though both ended up in German prison camps.
My father was trained at Harlingen, Texas, to be a B-24 nose gunner. During training the “war wearies” that were used for training, he was in two plans that had engine fires. He bailed out the first time; decided to ride it down the 2nd time (bailing out once was enough he said) and crashed on takeoff a third time. During all of this he was injured and after surgery was declared non-deployable. Of course he added, his injuries were found after he received all of his shots for the South Pacific.
Fabulous follow up! Thank you, and a very heart felt thanks to your Father & family for the sacrifices all of you made!
Thank you.
It's amazing what those gentlemen accomplished.
Later it was increased to 30 missions.
I knew fighter pilots did many more sorties but I didn't know the heavies did.
Thanks for the reply.
It was 50 easy missions - the harder ones counted as a double. If you look at the log book entries I posted, the ‘**’ after each mission is actually two manually drawn five-pointed stars, indicating they counted double.
However, you only got one star for bombing undefended railroad yards in Yugoslavia.
I’m a member of their association. Almost all of the original guys are gone, so the 2d generation carries on.
It was an honor to meet and talk to them.
Thanks again.
My dad actually flew twice on D-Day but the second mission was recalled before they got credit for a combat mission.
I believe it was a B24 my Grandpa crash landed in as a flight engineer in the Pacific during WWII. His legs were covered in burn scars and he was deaf in one ear after that. I remember him talking about the planes being death traps he didn’t like riding in.
Great info about your father! Thanks.
You can see the Diamond Lil at her hanger at the Flying Museum in Ft Worth, sometimes over in Addison, and even ride her at selected occasions: http://www.cafb29b24.org/#!cockpit-tours/c217l
I had the great privilege to assist some gents from the 410BG board her and sit up front a few years ago.
b29 1st.
b17 2nd.
pass on the b24...
you can see in that diagram just how weak the wings are and why the wongs would fold up. hint look at where they join the aircraft. hardly any structure holding them on much less bracing them across the spine of the plane. they will just snap off.
again this was before future engineers were able to grow up playing with lego.
I fly on the B-24 Diamond ‘Lil - a part of the B29/B24 CAF squadron based in Addison TX. We have one of only two B-24’s still flying in the world. I can tell you that ‘Lil is loud, vibrates like hell, and we love her. We also have a B-29 in the squadron, the only flying B-29 in the world.
Want to work on a B-29 or a B-24? Want to fly with us as crew? Come join our squadron. http://www.cafb29b24.org/
BTW, CAF stands for Commemorative Air Force, the old Confederate Air Force. We are keeping the old planes flying, and we all love what we do.
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